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GROW Nebraska™ 2006 Benchmarks
- In 2006, GROW Nebraska™ provided technical assistance on 347 occasions. Our membership reached 200.
- Forty-seven new businesses joined the program, twenty-one of these were the result of an existing member’s referral.
- Membership sustained an 86% renewal rate.
- Twenty-three businesses participated in the product evaluation in April
- Members continue as project leaders for services such as mall Holiday Stores, the Archway store, and the grocery store initiative, receiving a stipend for managing stores and projects. It is a win-win situation; the client gains experience and financial reward, and GROW Nebraska™ expands services without incurring large financial cost. These programs still require staff oversight and commitment, but at a lesser level.
- Launched a summer intern program with two interns; one organized and managed the web site critique, one organized and helped manage the State Fair store.
- Sixteen members participated in the web site critique.
- Thirty-six businesses participated in the General Store at the State Fair, with a 6% increase in sales over 2005.
- Forty-five individuals attended the GROW Marketing workshops held in Blue Hill, Nebraska City and McCook. Development of this workshop was funded through a grant from Nebraska Department of Economic Development and USDA Rural Community Development Initiative.
- Three businesses took out loans through the Direct GROW Loan program administered by the Rural Enterprise Assistance Project (REAP) for a total of $11,000 under loan.
- Seventy-two businesses participated in the Holiday stores in Kearney, Grand Island, Lincoln and Omaha, which generated $171,800 in sales in five weeks.
- Total sales generated by GROW Nebraska’s™ special retail opportunities were over $292,000, an increase of 107% over 2005. Total payout to members was $175,000.
- Featured in the Aspen Institute’s FIELD Funder Guide as a national leader in the drive for non-profit organizations to become more self-sustaining.
- Launched the Signature Series, a new service offering unique Nebraska products for the business and corporate gift buyer.
- Our discounted Web design program generated two basic sites which are hosted by the GROW Nebraska™ server; three custom-designed sites, all of which are shopping cart enabled.
- Seventeen GROW members participated in three cooperative ads in national publications.
- Seven GROW Nebraska™ members have been selected for the Affiliated Foods warehouse.
- A total of 1,121 gift baskets were sold off the GROW Nebraska™ web site, through Affiliated Foods, HyVee, Russ’s IGA and Supersaver grocery stores.
- GROW Nebraska was selected to participate in the Association for Enterprise Opportunity’s Regional Flavor Learning Cluster, which is devoted to establishing a best practice model for capitalizing on the unique character of Nebraska and its people.
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